Football or Big East affiliation
- Thread starter PASpider
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I would assume the answer is yes in this hypothetical scenario as the Big East would only extend the invitation to UR and we would accept it with the understanding that we would devote the resources necessary to be competitive and not just be a doormat for all the teams to add to the win column every year.
This isn't my favorite hypothetical scenario because I never want to give up our football and that wouldn't be a requirement to do so for the Big East as there are several teams in the conference who have FCS football and Villanova even does quite well in both. But to answer this hypothetical either or question, I would say "yes" to being in the Big East for all our other sports even if meant dropping football. We would be in a basketball power conference that would be among the best in the country. That is the dream. The benefits and exposure that would add to our University is immeasurable.
Hypothetical- if we joined the Big East tomorrow we’d have to shell out millions based on the Big 5/6 agreement with the NCAA.
8legs1dream
Team Manager
If we were forced to make this decision the call has to be drop football and join the Big East. The extra attention from the press/media alone would be worth it. Winning ten FCS national football championships in a row wouldn't even compare to winning simply a Big East title in my opinion.
There’s already proof of this. Georgia Southern won a ton of championships and is just an average team in FBS and has no basketball pedigree. NDSU is a dynasty right now and no one has heard of them outside of hardcore FCS fans.
Submit, this statement has no basis in fact.
Where did you get that idea? Hell, they even mention them on NFL
Broadcasts.
NDSU plays Colorado on ESPN on August 29 at 8pm ET.They pick up a check for $700,000 as well.
While hyperbolic about 10 fcs championships in a row not equating to one big east title, I agree with the general point that success in the Big East would do a lot more for us from a national recognition, branding, monetary, alumni engagement, fan support, etc. standpoint than success in the FCS
Correct. Only Spider alums and FCS diehards know that we won a national title. I have a couple colleagues (Pitt and Lehigh grads) whose kids are now juniors in high school. After doing some research, they each told me separately something to the effect of “Richmond is a good school! I had no idea. I thought it was a large public university.” Disappointed to know that they both thought I went to a subpar academic institution. 😂
I don't like this question, so not going to answer. But as a 20 year Spider basketball season ticket holder and also someone going to maybe 1 football game every other year, my allegiance lies with Spider hoops.
This is a hypothetical that will never happen for so many reasons. We are not getting rid of football, the Big East does not want us right now, and even if they did want us, they would not make disband our football team to get into it.
UR is wealthy institution with a large endowment, I feel confident that we can continue to both without sacrifice of the other.
This is a hypothetical that will never happen for so many reasons. We are not getting rid of football, the Big East does not want us right now, and even if they did want us, they would not make disband our football team to get into it.
UR is wealthy institution with a large endowment, I feel confident that we can continue to both without sacrifice of the other.
As I said in another post. Villanova has both, FCS football and Power 5 Basketball. We can too.
You guys have no idea how tough is it in California (or maybe some of you do).
Where did you go to school?
University of Richmond
Oh, is that university of Virginia?
No, it’s richmond
Oh, VCU then?
No, university of Richmond
Huh, never heard of that.
By the time I tell them we won a national championship in football they think I’m an absolute maniac
Where did you go to school?
University of Richmond
Oh, is that university of Virginia?
No, it’s richmond
Oh, VCU then?
No, university of Richmond
Huh, never heard of that.
By the time I tell them we won a national championship in football they think I’m an absolute maniac
I'm surprised they don't mention Giant Killers. Everywhere I go, people talk about all the teams we have knocked off in the dance when I tell them where I went to school. Yes, even during our tourney drought. When you beat Auburn, Indiana, GT, Syracuse, South Carolina, Vandy, and Iowa, people notice. I guess out west, they don't follow college hoops as much.
hardcore college basketball fans know us for sure.
to casual fans, we have about as much name recognition as GW or Saint Joe's.
to casual fans, we have about as much name recognition as GW or Saint Joe's.
Perhaps hardcore basketball fans know us or even regular college basketball fans who lived in that era. I’m speaking more towards the average person or even prospective high school student looking to go into college. Ask 10 random people in New Mexico if they have heard of the University of Richmond, maybe you get 1 or 2 people who say yes. My experience has been more like Ply’s where people confuse us for UVA. I even had someone once ask if it was in Richmond, California lol.
Sports is the number #1 way to reach a greater national audience the quickest way. FBS football is the pinnacle of that and second is college basketball. We are never going to FBS and so basketball is our best approach. The A10 is a wonderful conference and does give us national exposure, don’t get me wrong. I think it’s indisputable that the Big East would do even more.
Giant Killer is probably more familiar to sports fans in the 50 plus age range. That is moniker we got in late 80's, early 90's. Anyone under 45 has probably never heard that term.
Ask 10 random people in New Mexico and about 2 or 3 could even place the state of Virginia on a map. New Mex is a nice place that goes for lot of places.
When I say I went to the University of Richmond, most people say, "Cool, Spiders".
GKiller tries to help all the young guys with that thanks to his name on here.
just curious GK and VT ... would you say you live in the mid-atlantic or northeast?
I feel UR's name recognition is pretty regional to non-hardcore college basketball fans or to people without kids who have gone through the college search stuff.
I feel UR's name recognition is pretty regional to non-hardcore college basketball fans or to people without kids who have gone through the college search stuff.
I agree with this, and this is kind of the point. The recognition of our school isn't about how many fulbright scholars we have, or our business school (which is top notch), or the Jepson school of leadership studies, or even the campus. To the layperson, it's because they remember seeing us in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. THIS is the tide that raises the entire school profile. I do not get the sense the administration of the school fully recognizes this.
Yeah East coast. I’m not disputing your point. I’m just saying in my experience the nickname Spiders was more likely to be a recognition flash point as anything else. And when they do know the school the Spiders was top response. Or maybe if unsure they might ask if that’s the Spiders. Used to travel a lot for work well beyond east coast and I’d get it. A lot of ppl wouldn’t know Villanova is in Philly or Xavier is Cincy either.
I’m sure those same people know that Duke exists and not because of how many Fulbright scholars they produce a year. Duke is a national research university so it’s not quite apples to apples with us, but still I am willing to bet that sports plays a large part in their reputation and how it has grown over the last 40 years.
We would be more in the Williams or Amherst college in terms of school size and being a liberal arts college, except we have the unique draw of D1 sports and D1 sports at a high level if I may add.
I’m from the Midwest (<10 hr drive to Richmond) and didn’t even know UR existed until senior year of high school when I applied after a friend told me about the school. I looked into the school more and what it offered, visited, and the rest is history. We all know that UR is a special place and I think is the biggest diamond in the rough school in the country. People will see that too after they research and learn about what we offer and the great academics we have. Recognition through sports is a great way to open that initial door for many people and also be enticing to enroll over a UVA or UNC because a lot of people want a holistic college experience where school spirit with athletics plays a part in that.
Duke is a different animal. But actually I still doubt those people know Duke is in Durham, NC. u brought up the new mex example, and also mentioned Richmond, CA and UVA too. I don't think lack of geography knowledge means much that's all. Ppl really really suck at geography. Without dispute Duke is more well known, mostly due to hoops and also being 1 of the top academic schools in the country. That said I bet it doesn't help a bunch of randoms identify where it is. More than Richmond...sure.
The rest I'm not debating. Maybe the school spirit stuff. We are still relatively weak there, students primarily, and that's a size deal imo first and foremost. I guess I'm a little confused that u might think I've argued against the other stuff. Yes if we were a D3 sports school we would have D3 recoginition. For us the 100% best way to get recognition is hoops success. Please let's go do it. 3 ncaas in 19 years doesn't do it. Also, if we could I'd take the Big East without a second thought.
I don't get all the negative administration talk on here. We keep hearing on here that "we don't care about winning". But, we pay our coach a nice salary, our facilities are fantastic, and we have a real solid NIL situation. What exactly would you all want the administration to do?
I think the billboard and countless posts on this website have already covered that topic.
